British Columbia’s NDP government laid out its agenda for the year heading into the next provincial election with a speech from the throne to open the spring legislative session on Tuesday
The speech opening the spring legislative session, delivered by Lt.-Gov. Janet Austen, centred affordability measures in the government’s vision while providing some hints as to the content of Thursday’s provincial budget.
It comes as the province faces several key challenges, including tough economic headwinds — with recent forecasts from the Ministry of Finance and private financial experts suggesting B.C. will experience slow economic growth this year.
Despite a tough economic climate, the speech suggests no slowdown in government spending.
“Leaving people to fend for themselves does not work,” Austen read to legislators. “It did not work before. And it will not work now. It would mean deep cuts that weaken the services we rely on.”
Government action on B.C.’s housing crisis was a central theme to the speech, which touted a flurry of new legislation aimed at restricting short-term rentals, requiring transit-oriented development and multi-family zoning and speeding up permits.
It pledges new actions to help first-time homebuyers and to protect renters from “bad-faith evictions.”
It also highlighted the rollout of the NDP’s new multi-billion dollar BC Builds program which will offer government land and low-cost financing to spur the development of new rental housing.
“The market alone has not been able to deliver the homes working- and middle-class people need,” the speech states.
“As a result, the people who are providing the services we all count on – like teachers, construction workers, and nurses – are being priced out of communities.”
The speech also touted recent government initiatives aimed at tackling the rising cost of living, while hinting at more to come in the budget, both for individuals and businesses.
“This session, your government will take new actions to help people with costs, while tackling the root causes that are making life so expensive – like housing affordability,” Austen stated.
“And it will do more to help small and growing businesses, many of whom are still finding their feet after the pandemic and are facing new challenges today.”
On health care, the speech stated the province has recruited more than 700 new family doctors and 6,300 nurses while clearing the pandemic surgery backlog.
Recruiting more doctors and nurses will remain a key government priority, along with a focus on building out its 10-year cancer plan and boosting funding for home and long-term care for seniors.
Regarding public safety, the speech pointed to plans to hire another 256 RCMP officers, along with recent moves to protect youth from online threats.
Keeping youth safe and healthy will be an ongoing focus, it added, including coming legislation to protect schools from disruptive protests.
It also highlighted upcoming new anti-racism legislation and mandatory Holocaust education in schools.
The province will also continue to take action on clearing homeless encampments, while trying to find shelter for those living in them, according to the speech.
On the environment, the speech promised new actions to target pollution from large industrial emitters.
On the economy, the speech highlighted a growing focus on partnerships with First Nations in developing the province’s natural resources industries, while aiming to leverage them for a key role in the “clean economy,” such as battery manufacturing, LNG and hydroelectric power.
The government will focus on training and education needed to help fill an anticipated million job openings in the next decade, three-quarters of which are expected to need post-secondary education, it stated.
The NDP government says it expects to table at least 20 pieces of legislation in the upcoming spring sessions and deliver a budget focused on funding services rather than cuts.
Opposition BC United Leader Kevin Falcon promised last week that if elected he would introduce housing initiatives to help first-time homebuyers raise down payments and would eliminate the property transfer tax for buyers of homes under $1 million.
With files from the Canadian Press